All signs point to a close race with just over a week to go. In fact, current polling suggests it might be close enough to produce a split decision, with Mitt Romney winning the popular vote and the president keeping his job with a victory in the Electoral College.

All signs point to a close race with just over a week to go. In fact, current polling suggests it might be close enough to produce a split decision, with Mitt Romney winning the popular vote and the president keeping his job with a victory in the Electoral College.

That idea's been floated for at least a week. Again, you're late to the party.

The problem is that's happens only four times, only once where the challenger got at least 50% of the popular vote.

And, it's never occurred with an incumbent president.

And, of course, you left out the context in which Rasmussen made those comments:

All signs point to a close race with just over a week to go. In fact, current polling suggests it might be close enough to produce a split decision, with Mitt Romney winning the popular vote and the president keeping his job with a victory in the Electoral College.

I doubt it. It's only happened four times (winning the presidency without the popular vote) and it's NEVER HAPPENED with an incumbent president.

This is from the Atlantic on Apr 16, 2012

Quote

Obama has an edge. He could lose four swing states he won four years ago -- Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida -- and still end up crossing the magic 270 threshold.

What if Obama were to lose the popular vote but win the electoral college? That's not unheard of. George W. Bush famously lost the popular vote in his 2000 win, and three others have done the same: John Quincy Adams (1824), Rutherford Hayes (1876), and Benjamin Harrison (1888). But no sitting president has ever won reelection while losing the popular vote.

A CNN poll also released Monday has Obama up by 9 points. Romney's favorability is at historic lows for a challenger. Furthermore, it's not popular vote that decides the election, but electoral votes.